Try out Microsoft Office 2007 for 60 Days
I didn’t get much sleep last night instead spending time surfing around the web finding new things left and right. Of course I don’t remember many because web surfing can be like channel surfing on the t.v., mindless, which then makes it difficult to remember really what I was doing since I was in more of a daze with my eyes half open. But, I do remember that I came across a nice tidbit of information and that was I could try out Microsoft Office 2007 for a 60 day period, and this is through Microsoft.
I have been using Office 2003 and had seen some screenshots of Outlook 2007 and secretly lusted to get my hands on it. I missed out on the beta testing so that was a no go. But today I have Outlook 2007 along with Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint and Publisher 2007. Office 2007 keeps documents and files compatible with earlier versions which is nice considering if I decide I don’t want to upgrade and go back to 2003 I can still use my documents.
Installing Office 2007 was easy though lengthy but now I get to play with Outlook as well as the other programs. I already worked a bit with Excel on a document for work and I like the new feel though the new menu interface, called the Ribbon, seems a bit bulky at first though very functional. The Ribbon is found in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and certain parts of Outlook. The snapshot below shows the Ribbon in Word with basic formatting options.
Also, there is no File menu anymore (except in parts of Outlook), now replaced with the Button which contains all the commands needed to publish and make final inspections of your work. Basically, the new interface is more icon-based and geared towards the task at hand. It may take a while to get use to but I have 60 days to take it for a test drive.
I guess it will come down to whether I value screen space more than functionality. It’s nice to be in a document and be able to select a menu and have the Ribbon come up with all possible aspects for that function. Also, there is a Quick Access Toolbar that can be customized with frequently used items and can be positioned above or below the Ribbon. And, you can minimize the Ribbon at any time.
I like the To-Do Bar in Outlook 2007 which when expanded shows me a calendar and a list of upcoming appointments and tasks. It hides nicely when I don’t need it. Also, Outlook now has RSS Feeds incorporated into it to view my subscriptions. Tech-Recipes has a nice tutorial on how to Use Google Reader for RSS Feeds Link giving me access to any feeds I have through Google Reader in Outlook (they also have a tutorial to Replace Outlook Calendar with Google Calendar if you are so inclined).
So, it is New Year’s Eve and my first resolution for the new year is to try out Office 2007 and see if it is for me. From my work today I think it is a keeper. Maybe I’ll earn some extra cash from Adsense in the next 2 months to pay for the upgrade!
Happy New Year to everyone.
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